A couple years ago several friends and I decided that we would like to do
something different for a Christmas eve dinner. It seemed that by Christmas
most of us have already had our fill of turkey and ham from Thanksgiving
dinners and the succession of Christmas parties that begins in early
December. With everyone contributing something, we put together a meal of
traditional Jewish dishes. Half of us are Jewish so our dinner was, in a
loose sense, a sort of joint observance of Christmas and Hanukkah but more
of an occasion just to share good home cooked food with good friends. This
year was the third Christmas eve we have continued to get together for the
same kind of dinner. This is real comfort food, especially on a cold, rainy
night like we had here this year. My contribution was the soup. Here is our
menu:

Christmas Eve Dinner for 8

Matzo ball soup

Brisket of beef
Beef & onion gravy
Kasha varnishkes
Potato latkes
Sweet potato latkes
Zucchini latkes
Apple chutney
Challah
California red wines

Coffee & Desserts:
Rugelach, meringue cookies, chocolate mousse
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next day, I went to my youngest daughter’s home for Christmas day
dinner.

Christmas Day Dinner for 9

Salad of baby greens, glazed walnuts and Gorgozola
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Boneless loin pork chops
Stuffed baked potatoes
Crookneck squash casserole
Sourdough rolls
California red wines
Dessert: Dutch apple pie and vanilla ice cream

The pork chops were browned first, then brushed with a balsamic glaze and
Kitchen Bouquet, then simmered. They were outstanding. This was one of the
few times when I didn’t have a major part in the preparation of our
Christmas day dinner. It was so-oo nice being able to simply relax and enjoy
a fine meal on this occasion.

Best wishes to all for happiness, health and good cheer in the coming New
Year.

Sam D. wrote:
> A couple years ago several friends and I decided that we would like to do
> something different for a Christmas eve dinner. It seemed that by Christmas
> most of us have already had our fill of turkey and ham from Thanksgiving
> dinners and the succession of Christmas parties that begins in early
> December. With everyone contributing something, we put together a meal of
> traditional Jewish dishes. Half of us are Jewish so our dinner was, in a
> loose sense, a sort of joint observance of Christmas and Hanukkah but more
> of an occasion just to share good home cooked food with good friends. This
> year was the third Christmas eve we have continued to get together for the
> same kind of dinner. This is real comfort food, especially on a cold, rainy
> night like we had here this year. My contribution was the soup. Here is our
> menu:
>
> Christmas Eve Dinner for 8
>
> Matzo ball soup
>
> Brisket of beef
> Beef & onion gravy
> Kasha varnishkes
> Potato latkes
> Sweet potato latkes
> Zucchini latkes
> Apple chutney
> Challah
> California red wines
>
> Coffee & Desserts:
> Rugelach, meringue cookies, chocolate mousse
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
> The next day, I went to my youngest daughter’s home for Christmas day
> dinner.
>
> Christmas Day Dinner for 9
>
> Salad of baby greens, glazed walnuts and Gorgozola
> Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
> Boneless loin pork chops
> Stuffed baked potatoes
> Crookneck squash casserole
> Sourdough rolls
> California red wines
> Dessert: Dutch apple pie and vanilla ice cream
>
> The pork chops were browned first, then brushed with a balsamic glaze and
> Kitchen Bouquet, then simmered. They were outstanding. This was one of the
> few times when I didn’t have a major part in the preparation of our
> Christmas day dinner. It was so-oo nice being able to simply relax and enjoy
> a fine meal on this occasion.
>
> Best wishes to all for happiness, health and good cheer in the coming New
> Year.
>
>
Two great meals! I hope that you will post some more of the recipes,
the stuffed baked potatoes, for example. Thank you for sharing. Margaret

Sam, sounds like a great spread!!!

My holiday dinner was a quickie - mostly b/c I didn't manage to make it
to the grocery before closing time on Christmas Eve, we had literally no
fresh veggies or meat, just frozen corn/peas/beans and two frozen
chicken breasts.

I defrosted a chicken breast (the other one was too freezer-burnt to be
useable), chopped it up, browned it w/a little olive oil, dumped in 3 c
of boiling water and 2 c of frozen veggies, brought it back to a boil,
and added a cube of instant Japanese curry mix. Serve over rice that
didn't soak before cooking (argh, had a hard core in each grain), and
that was dinner.

I'll do better tonight, I promise...

-j.

June Oshiro wrote:
> Sam, sounds like a great spread!!!
>
> My holiday dinner was a quickie - mostly b/c I didn't manage to make
> it to the grocery before closing time on Christmas Eve, we had
> literally no fresh veggies or meat, just frozen corn/peas/beans and
> two frozen chicken breasts.
>
> I defrosted a chicken breast (the other one was too freezer-burnt to
> be useable), chopped it up, browned it w/a little olive oil, dumped
> in 3 c of boiling water and 2 c of frozen veggies, brought it back to
> a boil, and added a cube of instant Japanese curry mix. Serve over
> rice that didn't soak before cooking (argh, had a hard core in each
> grain), and that was dinner.
>
> I'll do better tonight, I promise...
>
> -j.

Mine was pretty lame, but honestly delicious!

Initially I planned on frying chicken, but having been badly burned doing
that 20 years ago I "chickened out" So instead I boiled the small fryer
with onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf to make a decent broth. Deboned the
chicken and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Strained the broth. I made a
chicken "pot pie" with the twist of cornbread stuffing as the topping.

By the time I finished with the broth and sauteed onion, celery and garlic
for the stuffing topping (broth blended in until nicely moist, along with
some rubbed sage and parsley), I was practically out of veggies. Luckily I
had a couple of cans of 'Veg-All'. (If my freezer were larger I'd keep
mixed frozen veggies on hand for such emergencies, as you mentioned.) I
drained and rinsed those and placed them in a large casserole dish with the
chicken. I chopped and sauteed the remaining onion, a stalk of celery, a
carrot and a potato in butter and added this to the chicken mixture.

Made a medium white sauce, using some of the chicken broth along with the
butter, flour and milk. Poured this mixture over the chicken mixture in the
casserole.

I topped it with the cornbread stuffing. Baked it at 350F for 25 minutes,
covered. Removed the cover and baked another 10 minutes to lightly brown
the top.

Considering it was a last-minute cooking decision, it was very tasty. And I
have leftovers to eat later today!

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
>
> June Oshiro wrote:
> > Sam, sounds like a great spread!!!
> >
> > My holiday dinner was a quickie - mostly b/c I didn't manage to make
> > it to the grocery before closing time on Christmas Eve, we had
> > literally no fresh veggies or meat, just frozen corn/peas/beans and
> > two frozen chicken breasts.
> >
> > I defrosted a chicken breast (the other one was too freezer-burnt to
> > be useable), chopped it up, browned it w/a little olive oil, dumped
> > in 3 c of boiling water and 2 c of frozen veggies, brought it back to
> > a boil, and added a cube of instant Japanese curry mix. Serve over
> > rice that didn't soak before cooking (argh, had a hard core in each
> > grain), and that was dinner.
> >
> > I'll do better tonight, I promise...

The way I see it, a nice dinner on holidays is great, but if it
doesn't work out, there's tomorrow.

My dinner was excellent, at least to my taste. Standing rib roast
with Paula Dean's house seasoning (salt pepper and granulated garlic)
rub, don't be shy, put on plenty ... and her brandied mushrooms.
Well, there were other things on my plate but I didn't notice them.
Wow, was that good, and yes, my slab of roast had the obligatory
rib.

> Initially I planned on frying chicken, but having been badly burned doing
> that 20 years ago I "chickened out"

You probably can get decent fried chicken to go where you live, no?
Because I would have to get back on that horse if I ever wanted
fried chicken again.

> So instead I boiled the small fryer
> with onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf to make a decent broth. Deboned the
> chicken and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Strained the broth. I made a
> chicken "pot pie" with the twist of cornbread stuffing as the topping.

Yummy. I'm going to make turkey pot pies, I now have leftover turkey
and leftover rib roast (and all the sides) and have to do something
with some of it.

nancy

"jmcquown" > wrote in
:

> June Oshiro wrote:
>> Sam, sounds like a great spread!!!
>>
>> My holiday dinner was a quickie - mostly b/c I didn't manage to make
>> it to the grocery before closing time on Christmas Eve, we had
>> literally no fresh veggies or meat, just frozen corn/peas/beans and
>> two frozen chicken breasts.
>>
>> I defrosted a chicken breast (the other one was too freezer-burnt to
>> be useable), chopped it up, browned it w/a little olive oil, dumped
>> in 3 c of boiling water and 2 c of frozen veggies, brought it back to
>> a boil, and added a cube of instant Japanese curry mix. Serve over
>> rice that didn't soak before cooking (argh, had a hard core in each
>> grain), and that was dinner.
>>
>> I'll do better tonight, I promise...
>>
>> -j.
>
> Mine was pretty lame, but honestly delicious!

<<<<<<<<Snipped>>>>>

> lightly brown the top.
>
> Considering it was a last-minute cooking decision, it was very tasty.
> And I have leftovers to eat later today!
>
> Jill
>
>
>
Sounds Delish....
Mine was a Crock Pot Meal
A Picnic Cottage Roll (Pork Shoulder)
And a old favorite wild rice and Long grain rice Casserole with pecans ...

Both of these require more time than effort...which is good , because I
have a cold and don't feel much like trying hard at cooking.


--
And the beet goes on! (or under)
-me just a while ago

>
>Mine was pretty lame, but honestly delicious!
>
>Initially I planned on frying chicken, but having been badly burned doing
>that 20 years ago I "chickened out" So instead I boiled the small fryer
>with onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf to make a decent broth. Deboned the
>chicken and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Strained the broth. I made a
>chicken "pot pie" with the twist of cornbread stuffing as the topping.
>
>By the time I finished with the broth and sauteed onion, celery and garlic
>for the stuffing topping (broth blended in until nicely moist, along with
>some rubbed sage and parsley), I was practically out of veggies. Luckily I
>had a couple of cans of 'Veg-All'. (If my freezer were larger I'd keep
>mixed frozen veggies on hand for such emergencies, as you mentioned.) I
>drained and rinsed those and placed them in a large casserole dish with the
>chicken. I chopped and sauteed the remaining onion, a stalk of celery, a
>carrot and a potato in butter and added this to the chicken mixture.
>
>Made a medium white sauce, using some of the chicken broth along with the
>butter, flour and milk. Poured this mixture over the chicken mixture in the
>casserole.
>
>I topped it with the cornbread stuffing. Baked it at 350F for 25 minutes,
>covered. Removed the cover and baked another 10 minutes to lightly brown
>the top.
>
>Considering it was a last-minute cooking decision, it was very tasty. And I
>have leftovers to eat later today!
>
>Jill

My dinner was great, I had fresh asparagus soup, Caesar salad, Roast Beast (
standing Rib ) twice baked potatoes , and for dessert , that Yummy Gooey butter
Pumpkin dessert. All turned out beautifully.

Asparagus soup

Take a bunch of fresh asparaus, break the tough ends off and throw away, steam
the asparagus in a little water and put aside. Make a roux, I used about half
a stick of butter and several Tablespoons of flour, tossthe the asparagus
and its water into the blender, blend till smooth. Then add to the roux,
stirring all the time along with about three cans of chicken broth, and some
cream, I guess I used about half a pint, season with salt, and fresh ground
pepper, and then some fresh lemon juice, Delicious.
Rosie

In article >,
"Sam D." > wrote:

> A couple years ago several friends and I decided that we would like to do
> something different for a Christmas eve dinner. It seemed that by Christmas
> most of us have already had our fill of turkey and ham from Thanksgiving
> dinners and the succession of Christmas parties that begins in early
> December. With everyone contributing something, we put together a meal of
> traditional Jewish dishes. Half of us are Jewish so our dinner was, in a
> loose sense, a sort of joint observance of Christmas and Hanukkah but more
> of an occasion just to share good home cooked food with good friends. This
> year was the third Christmas eve we have continued to get together for the
> same kind of dinner. This is real comfort food, especially on a cold, rainy
> night like we had here this year. My contribution was the soup. Here is our
> menu:
>
Tasty menus snipped

That looked like last weekend, when I hosted the Latkepalooza dinner,
then our neighbors had a Christmas buffet (featuring latkes, pizza, and
sushi).

We had Christmas dinner with SO's boss and family, another family, and a
single man from SO's department. It was a predominantly vegetarian
affair, since one reveler was borderline vegan. Then we brought the
brioche tart with vanilla secret sauce and stewed fruit from "Baking
with Julia". (As I said, this recipe is too long to post. My wrist is
still aching from all the whisking I had to do for the sauce--KEEP YOUR
THOUGHTS TO YOURSELF, SHELDON!). The fruit and sauce were practically
inhaled. We still have a little tart and sauce for tonight's duck in
review (from Christmas eve) dinner.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

Sounds yummy. What texture should the asparagus be? Crisp or soggy?

"RMiller" > wrote in message
...
> >
> >Mine was pretty lame, but honestly delicious!
> >
> >Initially I planned on frying chicken, but having been badly burned doing
> >that 20 years ago I "chickened out" So instead I boiled the small
fryer
> >with onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf to make a decent broth. Deboned
the
> >chicken and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Strained the broth. I made a
> >chicken "pot pie" with the twist of cornbread stuffing as the topping.
> >
> >By the time I finished with the broth and sauteed onion, celery and
garlic
> >for the stuffing topping (broth blended in until nicely moist, along with
> >some rubbed sage and parsley), I was practically out of veggies. Luckily
I
> >had a couple of cans of 'Veg-All'. (If my freezer were larger I'd keep
> >mixed frozen veggies on hand for such emergencies, as you mentioned.) I
> >drained and rinsed those and placed them in a large casserole dish with
the
> >chicken. I chopped and sauteed the remaining onion, a stalk of celery, a
> >carrot and a potato in butter and added this to the chicken mixture.
> >
> >Made a medium white sauce, using some of the chicken broth along with the
> >butter, flour and milk. Poured this mixture over the chicken mixture in
the
> >casserole.
> >
> >I topped it with the cornbread stuffing. Baked it at 350F for 25
minutes,
> >covered. Removed the cover and baked another 10 minutes to lightly brown
> >the top.
> >
> >Considering it was a last-minute cooking decision, it was very tasty.
And I
> >have leftovers to eat later today!
> >
> >Jill
>
> My dinner was great, I had fresh asparagus soup, Caesar salad, Roast
Beast (
> standing Rib ) twice baked potatoes , and for dessert , that Yummy Gooey
butter
> Pumpkin dessert. All turned out beautifully.
>
> Asparagus soup
>
> Take a bunch of fresh asparaus, break the tough ends off and throw away,
steam
> the asparagus in a little water and put aside. Make a roux, I used about
half
> a stick of butter and several Tablespoons of flour, tossthe the
asparagus
> and its water into the blender, blend till smooth. Then add to the roux,
> stirring all the time along with about three cans of chicken broth, and
some
> cream, I guess I used about half a pint, season with salt, and fresh
ground
> pepper, and then some fresh lemon juice, Delicious.
> Rosie
>

>ine was lame! was Our Holiday Dinners
>From: "Aria"
>Date: 12/26/2003 11:36 AM Mountain Standard Time
>Message-id: <Qb%Gb.17635$i55.9504@fed1read06>
>
>Sounds yummy. What texture should the asparagus be? Crisp or soggy?
>

I cook the asparagus until it is tender, but not soggy, and then blend it.
Rosie

On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 09:29:18 -0500, June Oshiro
> wrote:

>
> Sam, sounds like a great spread!!!
>
> My holiday dinner was a quickie - mostly b/c I didn't manage to make it
> to the grocery before closing time on Christmas Eve, we had literally no
> fresh veggies or meat, just frozen corn/peas/beans and two frozen
> chicken breasts.
>
I can honestly say my Christmas Eve was the best in years!

"The Evil One" is gone, so she couldn't do anything to put a
damper on the occasion (although she tried anyway). My
children are now adults, so we had an intimate family dinner
- which included a "kid" (who is now a Marine pilot) my son
has known since 1st grade.

Dinner was traditional: "Prime" rib (roast at 450 F for 15
minutes, turn down the oven to 350 and roast 20 min per lb.
Let rest for 20 minutes before carving), Yorkshire pudding
and (kids request) green beans & mushroom soup casserole - I
made it with sliced almonds on top and the beans were frozen
haricot verts from Trader Joe's (99¢ for 24oz).

Dessert was chocolate souffle with a vanilla custard sauce.

Friends of both generations came over after dinner to
socialize and did we ever! Red wine, Patron tequila and
Coronas flowed - it was a late evening.


Practice safe eating - always use condiments

RMiller wrote:
>> Mine was pretty lame, but honestly delicious!
>>
> Asparagus soup
>
> Rosie

Ah, Rosie... you know the way to my heart! Soup! And asparagus, no less!
Sounds great, I will try your version soon

Jill

Sam D. started the discussion:

> A couple years ago several friends and I decided that we
> would like to do something different for a Christmas eve
> dinner.

My Christmas Eve dinner was:

Tossed Salad with Persimmons, Toasted Almonds, Feta Cheese, and a dressing
made of red currant jelly, cider vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, and Dijon
mustard (I got this recipe off rfc.)

Scallop Cheesecake with a Pecan Crust (as made with crabmeat at the Palace
in NOLA), with a wine-butter sauce

Hawaiian Bread (which I didn't make, I bought -- what a slacker I am!)

Scampi Rockefeller (like Oysters Rockefeller, but with shrimp: The shrimp
are peeled and put into a single layer in a baking pan, then they're covered
with a topping of spinach, basil, Romano cheese, Tabasco, garlic, scallions,
and Pernod. The pan is put into a very hot oven for just a few minutes, to
cook the shrimp.) -- I got this one off rfc, too

Saffron Rice (After I peeled the shrimp, I boiled the shells to make a kind
of simple shrimp stock. I added saffron to the stock while it was still hot,
and used that stock to cook the rice.)

Steamed Snow Peas with a lemon-soy-butter sauce

Poached Sea Bass, cooked in a broth flavored with lemons, soy, and onions

French Silk Pie: Basically, this is an ultra-smooth chocolate pie. The pie
crust is unusual; it's made by blending brown sugar, flour, butter, and
walnuts. The recipe is from _The New West Coast Cuisine_. It's got raw eggs,
so I deviated a small bit by using pasteurized eggs.

Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Curd: Originally, I'd planned to make a lemon
tart, but when it came time to do it, I discovered that I didn't have the
right pan. So I made the lemon curd anyway, and made "Black Butter
Shortbread" cookies from _The New West Coast Cuisine_.


Christmas dinner was:

Sour Cream Green Bean Soup: This is Barb's well-known recipe

Spiced Ham: From Alton Brown's "City Ham" recipe

Apple and Pecan Spoonbread: I got this recipe off an episode of "Emeril
Live."

Spiced Persimmon Chutney: I don't remember where I got this recipe; I think
it was posted on rfc some years ago.

White Winter Vegetables Baked in Cream: Parsnips, turnips, fennel, celery
root, leeks, and garlic are covered with cream, rosemary, and buttered bread
crumbs, then baked utnil the vegetables are tender and the crumbs are crisp

Slow-cooked Collard Greens with Mustard Seeds, Garlic and Chiles: This is an
adaptation of a Kashmiri dish called "Haak", which can be found in the
_World of the East Vegetarian Cookbook_.

Dinner Rolls: I just followed the recipe in the cookbook I got with my
Kitchenaid mixer.

Hazelnut Pie with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream & Chocolate Sauce


Bob

>From: "Bob"

>My Christmas Eve dinner was:
>
>Tossed Salad with Persimmons, Toasted Almonds, Feta Cheese, and a dressing
>made of red currant jelly, cider vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, and Dijon
>mustard (I got this recipe off rfc.)
>
>Scallop Cheesecake with a Pecan Crust (as made with crabmeat at the Palace
>in NOLA), with a wine-butter sauce
>
>Hawaiian Bread (which I didn't make, I bought -- what a slacker I am!)
>
>Scampi Rockefeller (like Oysters Rockefeller, but with shrimp: The shrimp
>are peeled and put into a single layer in a baking pan, then they're covered
>with a topping of spinach, basil, Romano cheese, Tabasco, garlic, scallions,
>and Pernod. The pan is put into a very hot oven for just a few minutes, to
>cook the shrimp.) -- I got this one off rfc, too
>
>Saffron Rice (After I peeled the shrimp, I boiled the shells to make a kind
>of simple shrimp stock. I added saffron to the stock while it was still hot,
>and used that stock to cook the rice.)
>
>Steamed Snow Peas with a lemon-soy-butter sauce
>
>Poached Sea Bass, cooked in a broth flavored with lemons, soy, and onions
>
>French Silk Pie: Basically, this is an ultra-smooth chocolate pie. The pie
>crust is unusual; it's made by blending brown sugar, flour, butter, and
>walnuts. The recipe is from _The New West Coast Cuisine_. It's got raw eggs,
>so I deviated a small bit by using pasteurized eggs.
>
>Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Curd: Originally, I'd planned to make a lemon
>tart, but when it came time to do it, I discovered that I didn't have the
>right pan. So I made the lemon curd anyway, and made "Black Butter
>Shortbread" cookies from _The New West Coast Cuisine_.
>
>
>Christmas dinner was:
>
>Sour Cream Green Bean Soup: This is Barb's well-known recipe
>
>Spiced Ham: From Alton Brown's "City Ham" recipe
>
>Apple and Pecan Spoonbread: I got this recipe off an episode of "Emeril
>Live."
>
>Spiced Persimmon Chutney: I don't remember where I got this recipe; I think
>it was posted on rfc some years ago.
>
>White Winter Vegetables Baked in Cream: Parsnips, turnips, fennel, celery
>root, leeks, and garlic are covered with cream, rosemary, and buttered bread
>crumbs, then baked utnil the vegetables are tender and the crumbs are crisp
>
>Slow-cooked Collard Greens with Mustard Seeds, Garlic and Chiles: This is an
>adaptation of a Kashmiri dish called "Haak", which can be found in the
>_World of the East Vegetarian Cookbook_.
>
>Dinner Rolls: I just followed the recipe in the cookbook I got with my
>Kitchenaid mixer.
>
>Hazelnut Pie with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream & Chocolate Sauce
>
>
>Bob

Sounds fabulous!

Ellen

Nancy Young wrote:

> My dinner was excellent, at least to my taste. Standing rib roast
> with Paula Dean's house seasoning (salt pepper and granulated garlic)
> rub, don't be shy, put on plenty ... and her brandied mushrooms.

Ohmygosh I can't *stand* to listen to that lady!! Her inane chatter with that
horrible voice (no, not accent, I live with that accent. It's her voice added to
the stupid giggling she does) drives me bonkers!!! It's almost painful. I can't
help but worry that anyone outside of the South will judge all southerners by her.
:/
Goomba

Goomba38 wrote:
>
> Nancy Young wrote:
>
> > My dinner was excellent, at least to my taste. Standing rib roast
> > with Paula Dean's house seasoning (salt pepper and granulated garlic)
> > rub, don't be shy, put on plenty ... and her brandied mushrooms.
>
> Ohmygosh I can't *stand* to listen to that lady!! Her inane chatter with that
> horrible voice (no, not accent, I live with that accent. It's her voice added to
> the stupid giggling she does) drives me bonkers!!! It's almost painful. I can't
> help but worry that anyone outside of the South will judge all southerners by her. :/

(laugh!!!) I understand, but for whatever reason she amuses me.
I know it's her tv persona, but something about her seems genuine
to me. Most of her food is really too sweet for my taste (doesn't
that sound self righteous? Really, not me), but she's okay in my
book.

nancy

Snipped Tasty Sounding menu to save bandwidth.>
>
Best wishes to all for happiness, health and good cheer in the coming
New
> Year.

I second this motion. =o)

I've been lurking here and posting a little in recent weeks, and I
can't resist popping up, here. I'm a happy amateur cook, although I do
not pretend to be a gourmet. I learned to cook from my mother, who
learned to cook through throwing all her over-achiever energy into
cooking gourmet meals for 1950's faculty dinners. I'm considerably
more relaxed about cooking than she is, although she's my encyclopedia
of advice.

Christmas Eve, it was just my Mom and me, and we had cracked crab, a
green salad and french bread. She shared a bit of her homemade candied
orange peel with me for dessert. Making candied citrus peel requires
a certain commitment from the cook, as it takes three days, and is
quite an involved process. But the result leaves the storebought stuff
in the dust. Her candied orange peel melts on your tongue and has an
intriguing bitter-sweetness that is very tasty.

Anyway, after spending a wonderful two weeks in Italy in September, I
was on a private campaign to Italianize Christmas, and my plot worked
brilliantly.=o) When I talked to my mother about the menu on Monday, I
casually suggested Tiramisu for dessert, and volunteered to make it
which she was very happy to let me do. For Christmas breakfast, I
also supplied a store-bought Panettone to go with our scrambled eggs
and bacon. This came from a very chic Italian grocery store where I
bought the Tiramisu ingredients. (I threw caution to the winds and had
a wonderful time buying expensive little goodies there on Tuesday
afternoon, although I went to Beverages and More to get the Marsala.)

Christmas Dinner was:
Cornish Game hens roasted by me. They were not authentic Italian, or
really authentic anything, but they were extremely good, being moist
and tender, and nicely flavored with their own juices. I did use
Italianate ingredients such as olive oil, fresh rosemary, a bit of
balsamic vinegar and marsala. I cooked them at 325 for about an hour
and a half, with several whole, peeled pearl onions tucked around them
in the roasting pan. I basted them with their own juices several
times during the roasting.

My mother parboiled then oven roasted some new potatoes, and steamed
some asparagus. For the vegetarians of our family (Lacto-ovo-fisho,
not vegans), my dad provided a truly weird casserole of grains and
vegetables, and my sister-in-law did a stir-fry of tofu and broccoli.
In addition, she is allergic to garlic and onions.

Dessert was Tiramisu from my Tuscan cookbook, which, even if I say so
myself, was fabulous. I thought we'd have at least two more people at
Christmas dinner than we actually had, so I doubled the recipe. But of
those present, only four of the seven of us ate the tiramisu. I guess
the triple whammy of coffee, chocolate and alcohol all in one dessert
was too much for my brother, sister-in-law and nephew. I don't THINK I
made Tiramisu out of submerged hostility, but Doctor Freud might have
other ideas about that. Between the three of them, they have enough
hangups about food to fill a textbok. The whole family has catered to
their food whims for years, so I suppose there might have been a bit
of pent-up frustration at work, there. I do love them, but I don't
particularly enjoy feeding them. Anyway, there ended up being LOTS of
leftover Tiramisu which was really rather nice, as it was even better
the second day...

Melissa

"Margaret Suran" > wrote in message
k.net...
>
>
> Sam D. wrote:
> > A couple years ago several friends and I decided that we would like to
do
> > something different for a Christmas eve dinner.
> >
> > Here is our menu:

> > <snipped for brevity>

> Two great meals! I hope that you will post some more of the recipes,
> the stuffed baked potatoes, for example. Thank you for sharing. Margaret
>

OK. I'll try to post the recipes for the stuffed baked potatoes and squash
casserole soon in a new thread. For the potatoes, I'll need to make at least
a rough determination of the measurements because I never wrote them down. I
first learned to make these when I was in college in the early 60's and
worked at Friar's Restaurants (there were 4) in Santa Monica. My daughter
who prepared them this time learned from me and I'm sure she never wrote it
down either. The squash casserole recipe was passed down from my grandmother
who was a food writer and I do have that one written down.. Stay tuned.

"Bob" > wrote in message
...
>
> My Christmas Eve dinner was:

> < description of two delightful dinners snipped for brevity >

> Bob

These were no doubt two fabulous meals. WoW!! And thanks for sharing enough
details so that some of the recipes can probably be obtained from a google
search.or other sources that you mention.

"Melissa Houle" > wrote in message
om...
> Snipped Tasty Sounding menu to save bandwidth.>
> >
> Best wishes to all for happiness, health and good cheer in the coming
> New
> > Year.
>
> I second this motion. =o)
>
> I've been lurking here and posting a little in recent weeks, and I
> can't resist popping up, here. I'm a happy amateur cook, although I do
> not pretend to be a gourmet. I learned to cook from my mother, who
> learned to cook through throwing all her over-achiever energy into
> cooking gourmet meals for 1950's faculty dinners. I'm considerably
> more relaxed about cooking than she is, although she's my encyclopedia
> of advice.
>
> Christmas Eve, it was just my Mom and me, and we had cracked crab, a
> green salad and french bread. She shared a bit of her homemade candied
> orange peel with me for dessert. Making candied citrus peel requires
> a certain commitment from the cook, as it takes three days, and is
> quite an involved process. But the result leaves the storebought stuff
> in the dust. Her candied orange peel melts on your tongue and has an
> intriguing bitter-sweetness that is very tasty.
>
> Anyway, after spending a wonderful two weeks in Italy in September, I
> was on a private campaign to Italianize Christmas, and my plot worked
> brilliantly.=o) When I talked to my mother about the menu on Monday, I
> casually suggested Tiramisu for dessert, and volunteered to make it
> which she was very happy to let me do. For Christmas breakfast, I
> also supplied a store-bought Panettone to go with our scrambled eggs
> and bacon. This came from a very chic Italian grocery store where I
> bought the Tiramisu ingredients. (I threw caution to the winds and had
> a wonderful time buying expensive little goodies there on Tuesday
> afternoon, although I went to Beverages and More to get the Marsala.)
>
> Christmas Dinner was:
> Cornish Game hens roasted by me. They were not authentic Italian, or
> really authentic anything, but they were extremely good, being moist
> and tender, and nicely flavored with their own juices. I did use
> Italianate ingredients such as olive oil, fresh rosemary, a bit of
> balsamic vinegar and marsala. I cooked them at 325 for about an hour
> and a half, with several whole, peeled pearl onions tucked around them
> in the roasting pan. I basted them with their own juices several
> times during the roasting.
>
> My mother parboiled then oven roasted some new potatoes, and steamed
> some asparagus. For the vegetarians of our family (Lacto-ovo-fisho,
> not vegans), my dad provided a truly weird casserole of grains and
> vegetables, and my sister-in-law did a stir-fry of tofu and broccoli.
> In addition, she is allergic to garlic and onions.
>
> Dessert was Tiramisu from my Tuscan cookbook, which, even if I say so
> myself, was fabulous. I thought we'd have at least two more people at
> Christmas dinner than we actually had, so I doubled the recipe. But of
> those present, only four of the seven of us ate the tiramisu. I guess
> the triple whammy of coffee, chocolate and alcohol all in one dessert
> was too much for my brother, sister-in-law and nephew. I don't THINK I
> made Tiramisu out of submerged hostility, but Doctor Freud might have
> other ideas about that. Between the three of them, they have enough
> hangups about food to fill a textbok. The whole family has catered to
> their food whims for years, so I suppose there might have been a bit
> of pent-up frustration at work, there. I do love them, but I don't
> particularly enjoy feeding them. Anyway, there ended up being LOTS of
> leftover Tiramisu which was really rather nice, as it was even better
> the second day...

Your Chistmas dinner sounds very satisfying. I can understand your distress
over dealing with individual quirks over food. That can make holiday meal
planning really difficult.

On 26 Dec 2003 16:45:08 -0600, "Bob" >
wrote:

> Scampi Rockefeller (like Oysters Rockefeller, but with shrimp: The shrimp
> are peeled and put into a single layer in a baking pan, then they're covered
> with a topping of spinach, basil, Romano cheese, Tabasco, garlic, scallions,
> and Pernod. The pan is put into a very hot oven for just a few minutes, to
> cook the shrimp.) -- I got this one off rfc, too

Hmmm. Sounds good enought to make for dinner tonight! I'd
substitute sherry for the pernod though... don't like that
stuff.


Practice safe eating - always use condiments

On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 18:55:40 -0500, Goomba38
> wrote:

> Nancy Young wrote:
>
> > Paula Dean's
>
> Ohmygosh I can't *stand* to listen to that lady!! Her inane chatter with that
> horrible voice (no, not accent, I live with that accent. It's her voice added to
> the stupid giggling she does) drives me bonkers!!! It's almost painful. I can't
> help but worry that anyone outside of the South will judge all southerners by her.
> :/
> Goomba

I guess I don't watch enough Food TV to know the names of
all the "stars". Is she the Southern Cooking person?

We laugh because she puts cheddar cheese in everything,
including lasagne.



Practice safe eating - always use condiments

sf wrote:

> I guess I don't watch enough Food TV to know the names of
> all the "stars". Is she the Southern Cooking person?
>
> We laugh because she puts cheddar cheese in everything,
> including lasagne.

(laugh) Yeah, she is inordinately fond of putting cheddar in every
pasta dish. Today she made some kind of spaghetti/tomato meat sauce
and layered it with cheddar, and of course, my fave, topped it with
cheddar and melted the whole thing together. Gack. What the hell,
she amuses me.

nancy

"Sam D." > wrote in message SNIP>
> Your Chistmas dinner sounds very satisfying. I can understand your distress
> over dealing with individual quirks over food. That can make holiday meal
> planning really difficult.

Oh yeah, it was. <G> Everyone was in a good mood this year, which
helped a lot. As my mother observed "Christmas is much mellower now
that the children are in their forties." I count it as one of the
better Christmases we've had in the past decade, and I don't just mean
because the dinner turned out well. I was not exactly distressed over
the dessert, as I'm used to my family's quirks. If they can't or won't
enjoy something a little richer than normal that contains ingredients
not found in their day to day diet, it's their loss. Granted, Tiramisu
isn't something that should be eaten every day, anyway. It was made in
the spirit of "Christmas comes but once a year." In January, it'll be
back to lean and mean and climbing stairs.

Happy New Year, All.

Melissa

Melissa Houle wrote:

> As my mother observed "Christmas is much mellower now
> that the children are in their forties."

It's really true. Christmas and other holidays have become much easier
and less stressful as everyone has "grown up". Partly due to maturity,
partly because the focus has shifted to the newer generation, all in all
it's a good thing.

Christmas was a important when I was young, it became less so for
a time, and now it's become important and wonderful again.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

I made the Christmas breakfast I'd planned - fresh croissants with
gypsy ham, a smidgen of herb butter, and cheddar cheese heated up in
the oven to melt everything. I overestimated the oven temperature and
burnt the bottoms (oops) but once they were scraped off they tasted
delicious. And we had a fruit plate with cherries, strawberries, peach
and apple dipped in lime.

Lunch was a big family affair. Roast turkey and chicken, roast
potatoes, ham, vegetables courtesy of Mister Edgells (ugh) and gravy
out of a tin (ugh again) I have to say I found it rather
disappointing... last year one of my cousins (who's a chef and who was
having his first big family christmas) brought gourmet potatoes,
stuffing and gravy and it really lifted the meal. I was looking
forward to more treats, but he didn't do anything special this time
round. The most exotic thing on the table was the herb bread I
brought...

Dessert was traditional christmas pudding (made to my grandma's family
recipe), icecream and custard. My mother made one and my aunt made the
other and as seems to be traditional she couldn't get the recipe
right. She's very distressed that she can't make a good christmas
pudding, but maybe one day she'll get it right.

~Karen AKA Kajikit

Nobody outstubborns a cat...

Visit my webpage: http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Allergyfree Eating Recipe Swap: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Allergyfree_Eating
Ample Aussies Mailing List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ampleaussies/

sf wrote:

>
> I guess I don't watch enough Food TV to know the names of
> all the "stars". Is she the Southern Cooking person?
>
> We laugh because she puts cheddar cheese in everything,
> including lasagne.

yes, she's a southern lady from Savannah, GA (originally elsewhere in GA) although I've
never seen her passion for cheddar? Her story is interesting in so much as she was a
divorced woman with two sons to feed and started some sort of lunch service and it
outgrew her. She now has some restaurant called "The Lady and Two Sons" or something
like that. I've never been there. I do like the looks of her range/oven on the series..
wonder how well it really works?
Goomba

Reg > wrote in message .com>...
> Melissa Houle wrote:
>
> > As my mother observed "Christmas is much mellower now
> > that the children are in their forties."
>
> It's really true. Christmas and other holidays have become much easier
> and less stressful as everyone has "grown up". Partly due to maturity,
> partly because the focus has shifted to the newer generation, all in all
> it's a good thing.
>
> Christmas was a important when I was young, it became less so for
> a time, and now it's become important and wonderful again.

I agree with all of what you say. I think for my mother, it also
really helps that she no longer has to put four excited kids to bed at
a somewhat decent hour on Christmas Eve then stuff four stockings
until approximately one a.m. only to be re-awoken at five or six a.m
by excited kids who can't wait to see what Santa brought them.<G>

Melissa

I made my first EVER prime rib roast on Christmas. Because of a supplier
problem, all I could get was boneless, but it was delicious. I prepared it
thus, using a recipe from www.epicurious.com

Roast 30 large cloves of garlic, unpeeled, in 1/4 C. olive oil for about 35
minutes at 350 F. Drain the oil into a food processor and let the cloves
cool. Peel the garlic, add to the processor. Add 1/4 C. prepared horseradish
sauce, and puree. Place a 6 lb. boneless rib roast on a rack in the pan you
will bake it in. Salt and pepper the roast lightly, then coat all sides with
the garlic puree. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours up to 1 day. (I let mine
set for 24 hours). Cook at 350 F for 20 minutes per pound.

I served this with twice-baked potatoes, asparagus w/hollandaise, rolls, and
a congealed salad for the 4yo. 'Twas very good.


"Goomba38" > wrote in message
...
> Nancy Young wrote:
>
> > My dinner was excellent, at least to my taste. Standing rib roast
> > with Paula Dean's house seasoning (salt pepper and granulated garlic)
> > rub, don't be shy, put on plenty ... and her brandied mushrooms.
>
> Ohmygosh I can't *stand* to listen to that lady!! Her inane chatter with
that
> horrible voice (no, not accent, I live with that accent. It's her voice
added to
> the stupid giggling she does) drives me bonkers!!! It's almost painful. I
can't
> help but worry that anyone outside of the South will judge all southerners
by her.
> :/
> Goomba
>

Kajikit wrote:

>
> Dessert was traditional christmas pudding (made to my grandma's family
> recipe), icecream and custard. My mother made one and my aunt made the
> other and as seems to be traditional she couldn't get the recipe
> right. She's very distressed that she can't make a good christmas
> pudding, but maybe one day she'll get it right.
>
(posted and emailed)

Never having had Christmas Pudding, I am curious--
what differentiates a good one from a bad?

gloria p

On Sun, 28 Dec 2003 00:29:29 -0500, Goomba38
> wrote:

> sf wrote:
> >
> > I guess I don't watch enough Food TV
>
> I do like the looks of her range/oven on the series..
> wonder how well it really works?

I don't know about her range, but I can give a warning to
anyone who is thinking about buying a JennAire wall oven (or
any self-cleaning oven for that matter). Look carefully
into the oven and NOTICE where the oven light is located!

It's a bear to replace burned out bulbs in mine because it
is located at the back - on the oven ROOF, not on the back
wall the way most are. You have to be a contortionist to
get it out. In fact, I couldn't ever get the cover back on
properly, so I had to take it off and remove the bulb
whenever I wanted to clean the oven. Now, something or
other is stripped, I can't get the screws out and the oven
needs cleaning like crazy... so I guess I have to spring for
a technician. Grrrr. It's the details that drive you
absolutely crazy. Other than that particular brain fart,
their engineers designed a fine oven - it looks great and
works well.



Practice safe eating - always use condiments

On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 18:35:29 -0500, Nancy Young
> wrote:

> sf wrote:
>
> > I guess I don't watch enough Food TV to know the names of
> > all the "stars". Is she the Southern Cooking person?
> >
> > We laugh because she puts cheddar cheese in everything,
> > including lasagne.
>
> (laugh) Yeah, she is inordinately fond of putting cheddar in every
> pasta dish. Today she made some kind of spaghetti/tomato meat sauce
> and layered it with cheddar, and of course, my fave, topped it with
> cheddar and melted the whole thing together. Gack. What the hell,
> she amuses me.
>
I used to think that my SIL who is married to someone from
Alabama just didn't know how to make lasagne.... now I know
she's doing it the Southern way when she puts in Cheddar.

<sigh>
It doesn't matter what style it is - I still think it's
gross!



Practice safe eating - always use condiments

YUM!!! Was my invitation lost in the mail?

<G>
````````````

On Sun, 28 Dec 2003 15:40:18 +1100, Kajikit
> wrote:

> I made the Christmas breakfast I'd planned - fresh croissants with
> gypsy ham, a smidgen of herb butter, and cheddar cheese heated up in
> the oven to melt everything. I overestimated the oven temperature and
> burnt the bottoms (oops) but once they were scraped off they tasted
> delicious. And we had a fruit plate with cherries, strawberries, peach
> and apple dipped in lime.
>
> Lunch was a big family affair. Roast turkey and chicken, roast
> potatoes, ham, vegetables courtesy of Mister Edgells (ugh) and gravy
> out of a tin (ugh again) I have to say I found it rather
> disappointing... last year one of my cousins (who's a chef and who was
> having his first big family christmas) brought gourmet potatoes,
> stuffing and gravy and it really lifted the meal. I was looking
> forward to more treats, but he didn't do anything special this time
> round. The most exotic thing on the table was the herb bread I
> brought...
>
> Dessert was traditional christmas pudding (made to my grandma's family
> recipe), icecream and custard. My mother made one and my aunt made the
> other and as seems to be traditional she couldn't get the recipe
> right. She's very distressed that she can't make a good christmas
> pudding, but maybe one day she'll get it right.
>
> ~Karen AKA Kajikit
>
> Nobody outstubborns a cat...
>
> Visit my webpage: http://www.kajikitscorner.com
> Allergyfree Eating Recipe Swap: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Allergyfree_Eating
> Ample Aussies Mailing List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ampleaussies/



Practice safe eating - always use condiments

sf wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 18:35:29 -0500, Nancy Young
> > wrote:
>
>> sf wrote:
>>
>> > I guess I don't watch enough Food TV to know the names of
>> > all the "stars". Is she the Southern Cooking person?
>> >
>> > We laugh because she puts cheddar cheese in everything,
>> > including lasagne.
>>
>> (laugh) Yeah, she is inordinately fond of putting cheddar in every
>> pasta dish. Today she made some kind of spaghetti/tomato meat sauce
>> and layered it with cheddar, and of course, my fave, topped it with
>> cheddar and melted the whole thing together. Gack. What the hell,
>> she amuses me.
>>
> I used to think that my SIL who is married to someone from
> Alabama just didn't know how to make lasagne.... now I know
> she's doing it the Southern way when she puts in Cheddar.
>
> <sigh>
> It doesn't matter what style it is - I still think it's
> gross!
>
Hey, don't label all us Southern folks by the way that woman (whoever the
hell she is) cooks! I've never added cheddar to lasagna in my life!

Jill

On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 06:17:31 -0600, "jmcquown"
> wrote:

>sf wrote:
>> On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 18:35:29 -0500, Nancy Young
>> > wrote:
>>

>> I used to think that my SIL who is married to someone from
>> Alabama just didn't know how to make lasagne.... now I know
>> she's doing it the Southern way when she puts in Cheddar.
>>
>> <sigh>
>> It doesn't matter what style it is - I still think it's
>> gross!
>>
>Hey, don't label all us Southern folks by the way that woman (whoever the
>hell she is) cooks! I've never added cheddar to lasagna in my life!
>
>Jill
>

And I'm here in Alabama and I do not put cheddar in my lasagna.
My Nana would spin in her grave.
Maybe your SIL could use some cooking tips.
Pan Ohco

On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 09:54:30 -0600, Pan Ohco
> wrote:

> On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 06:17:31 -0600, "jmcquown"
> > wrote:
>
> >sf wrote:
> >> On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 18:35:29 -0500, Nancy Young
> >> > wrote:
> >>
>
> >> I used to think that my SIL who is married to someone from
> >> Alabama just didn't know how to make lasagne.... now I know
> >> she's doing it the Southern way when she puts in Cheddar.
> >>
> >> <sigh>
> >> It doesn't matter what style it is - I still think it's
> >> gross!
> >>
> >Hey, don't label all us Southern folks by the way that woman (whoever the
> >hell she is) cooks! I've never added cheddar to lasagna in my life!
> >
> >Jill
> >
>
> And I'm here in Alabama and I do not put cheddar in my lasagna.
> My Nana would spin in her grave.
> Maybe your SIL could use some cooking tips.
> Pan Ohco

It's coming from somewhere and must be widespread, Pan O,
otherwise cheddar in lasagne wouldn't make it onto the small
screen in a Southern Cooking show.



Practice safe eating - always use condiments

On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 06:17:31 -0600, "jmcquown"
> wrote:
>>
>Hey, don't label all us Southern folks by the way that woman (whoever the
>hell she is) cooks! I've never added cheddar to lasagna in my life!
>
>Jill
>
oh, come on. there are persistent rumors of an incident in high
school...

your pal,
blake